The present invention relates to security of an enclosed space. Access to said enclosed space is provided by some type of closure, typically a door, gate or access panel.
Security is a broad term that generally means denying access into the interior of enclosed space or vice versa denying access to the exterior of the enclosed space. For interior access denial, one might deny access to a residence, apartment, business office or hotel room. Conversely, one might deny access to the exterior of an enclosed space when containing livestock in a corral, pen or other similar caged enclosure. For simplicity of further discussion, the focus will be relative to securing the interior of an enclosure under the auspice that the same discussion and principles apply equally to denying access to the exterior of enclosure.
Other inventions have endeavored to address the need for securing an enclosure. Yet, there remain disadvantages to these devices that are overcome by the present invention. Devices such as safety chains and swinging latches that allow access into the enclosed space allow said devices to be defeated by bolt cutters, hack saws or similar tools or devices to gain entry. Any device that allows access to itself may inherently be defeated. The present invention, while allowing the closure to be slightly ajar, does not allow access to the interior of the enclosed space, hence not allowing compromising access to the device to allow its operation to be defeated.
In addition, many of the other readily available devices or inventions have multiple individual components that are required to be mounted on both the closure and on the framework adjacent to the closure. In some of these multi-component cases, such as with sliding bolts with their adjacent receivers, safety chain devices or swinging latches, a function critical component is the alignment between these separately mounted components. The present invention is mounted as and operates as a single unit ensuring consistent operation without the potential for misalignment problems between functional components.
Further, the present invention's operation as a single unit makes it easy to install, easy and efficient to operate and furthermore has low manufacturing cost. This single unit design provides a low-profile operation and aesthetically pleasing design for any interior décor.
The present invention provides the about described needs and functions as well as others that become apparent to one skilled in the art based on the present invention's following detailed description.